Method of making metallic disk structures



Dec. 16,1947. '5. K. WELLMAN' v 2,432,842

METHOD OF MAKING METALLIC DISK STRUCTURES Original Filed Feb. 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l /NvE/vroe: A I ff WM f2 d' 7 f Ha a', W.

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METHOD OF MAKING METALLIC DISK STRUCTURES Original Filed Feb. 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I F16. 6. llvvewme:

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METHOD OF MAKING METALLIC DISK STRUCTURES Original Filed Feb. 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J0@ l/05 11] laf.-

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S. K. WELLMAN METHOD OF MAKING METALLIC DISK STRUCTURES original Filed Feb. 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,94 a/ az .fas l Zia l a TSW 26 zi: 79 ii; so' Agg; 7e 83 25 fait 40 /32 39% Tr 75 -20 y 7`6 F/a. /0 ya J6 l 23 mi f Si /44 rmx 2f a,

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Patented Dee. 16, 1947 METHOD OF MAKING METALLIC rDISK `STRUCTURES Samuel K. Wellman, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to S. K. Wellman Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application February 2, 1942, Serial No.

Divided and this application -January 6, 1944, Serial N0. 518,734

This invention relates to improved methods of forming sheet metal into arcuate or annular disk-like spacing mem-bers having corrugations extending between the inner and outer edges of the annulus so as to increase the effective or over-all thickness of the members, and relates more particularly to methods of forming such members from straight metallic stripjstock. The present application constitutes a division of my earlier application SerialNo. 429,200, led February 2, 1942, now Patent N0. 2,378,742.

It is an object of the inventionto provide a method of forming straight metal strip stock annulus with the highest crests on one side of the formed member disposed in one plane and with the highest crests on the other side of the said member disposed in another plane parallel to the first mentioned plane. i

With the foregoing objects and other more or less incidental or ancillary' objects in View, the improved method consists in certain related'steps or operations, as hereinafter set forth and eX- plained in connection with the accompanying drawings and more particularly defined in the appended-claims.

In the drawings: f

Fig. 1 is a side view, with parts broken away, of a clutch disk having a spacing member typical of the corrugated annular spacing members produced by the improved apparatus and methods of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the edge ofI the clutch disk shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and indicating the corrugated form of the annular spacingV member at the inner edge thereof.

Fig. 4 is a radial sectional view taken'along line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a corresponding radial sectional view,

but is taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of my improved apparatus 3 Claims. (Cl. :Z9-152) 'for forming spacing memb'ers, with parts thereof,

especially of the upper reciprocating portion thereof broken away or removed to better show various features of construction and with some parts shown in section, the main section being on the line 6-,6 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 'l-T of Fig. 6, and shows the machine in its closed position.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view with the section taken on line 8-8 of Figs. 5, 6 and '7. and showing the parts when the machine is in its open position.

Fig, 9 is a fragmentary `vertical section on the line 9--9 of Figs. 6 and 7.

Fig. lOvis a vertical section on the line lll-l0 of Fig. 6 and shows one form of ratcheting and indexing apparatus of suitable construction, with the various parts thereof in the positions which they occupy when the machine is in its closed position.

' Fig. 11 is a fragmentary vertical section on lline ll-II of Fig. 7 showing the hold-down device.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line |2-I 2 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional rear elevation with the section taken on the line l3-l3 of Fig. B.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary front elevation showing a portion of the machine 'as viewed from the line M--l il of Fig. 8.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, the section being taken on the line I5-l5 of Fig. 7.

Fig, 16 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line |6l6 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 17 is an elevational view of a blade suitable for use in the rotating die member of Fig.l 6.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary vertical section taken similarly to Fig. '7, and showing the hold-down in the position which its blades occupy when the rotating die member of Figs. 6 and 7 has been advanced two spaces to the left from the position shown in Fig. 7.

Corrugated sheet metal members such as have been referred to above have various applications or uses.. An important use to whichI have put spacing members of this character is in the construction of ventilated friction clutch disks; and for the purpose of explaining my impr" d forming methods I have shown in Figslfil n of the drawings a clutch disk having "ancorH gated spacer such as the forming iapparatu'sillus trated in the drawings is adapted vto in the practice of my method.

produce Referring now to Figs. 1-5 inclusive, the friction disk assembly shown in the gures comprises a pair of backing or supporting disks I and 2 spaced apart axially at their centers by a spacing ring 3 and by the flange 4 of hub 5l the disks, ilange and spacing ring being secured together by means of rivets 6, 6. Friction facing layers T, l are secured to the outer faces of the supporting disks. A corrugated spacing member 8, such as my improved apparatus and methods are designed to produce, is disposed between the disks in register with the facing layers, the corrugations in the spacing member extending approximately radially across it and .being of suicient length to support the friction facing layers throughout their full width. .The form of the corrugations contributes to the floating action of the spacing member and will be described in detail below. The spacing member 8 is in the form of a full ring or annulus, the ends of which are lapped as shown at 9 and spot-welded together. It is secured to the backing disk I in any suitable manner, but preferably by means of spotwelds Ill, I located at a sufficient number of points to provide the desired strength and restraint. One set of such spot-welds I0 may serve also to unite the lapped ends of member 8.

Additional spot-welds II may also be provided to secure the spacing member 8 to the other supporting disk 2. Air inlet openings I2, I2 are provided in the assembly at appropriate locations to permit access of air to the inside of the assembly, thereby to permit forced-draft cooling or ventilation .of the assembly when the disk is rotating. v

- Referring now to Figs 2 and 3 which show the appearance of the outer and inner edges-respectively of the assembly, it will be seen that the spacing member consists of a repeating series of corrugations, each series including a major corrugation A, two intervening minor corrugations B, C, a second major corrugation D directed in the opposite direction with respect to major corrugation A, and another pair of intervening minor corrugations E and F. The series then repeats itself beginning with the major corrugation A'.

The major corrugations A and D of each series contact the supporting disks 2 and I, respectively, while the minor corrugations B, C, E and F are lpreferably of such effective height that they do not contact the supporting disks at any time, even when the friction disk is clamped in working engagement between the cooperating pressure plates of the clutch. It will be recognized that by reason of this* construction, the backing disks and the facing layers are resiliently or floatingly supported upon the major corrugations and hencel are cushioned over their entire area, the minor corrugations permitting variations in the over-all or.eifective thickness of the spacing member as the disks I and 2 move toward or away from each other. The minor corrugations may, of course, be designed so that their inner ends come into contact with the supporting disks I and 2 when the clutch is in engagement, but the advantages of the floating-type of support are then largely lost.

In order to form corrugated segments or circles from straight strip metal, it is necessary to crowd or gather a given length of metal into a shorter space on one edge of the strip than on the other edge. This, of course,is due to the fact that one edge forms a circle of smaller diameter than the other. The minor corrugations in the corrugated spacing member shown in Figs. 1-5 permit the metal to be gathered at the inner edge to 4 such an extent that straight strip stock may be formed into circular annuli having inner diameters on the order of an inch or so upward, and having wide ranges of annulus width. It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 that this is possible because, as mentioned above, the metal may be gathered in the minor corrugations B, C, E and F. the heights of these corrugations being adjusted to absorb whatever excess metal occurs at the inner edge. Referring specifically to the series of corrugations beginning on the outer edge (Fig. 2) at the crest of major corrugations A and ending at the crest of major corrugation A', it will be seen that this series of corrugations begins at the inner edge (Fig. 3) at the crest marked a and ends at the crest marked af. Inasmuch as this series of corrugations has the attributes of a geometrical wave, the circumferential distance (for a given radius) between major corrugations Aa and A'a may conveniently be referred to as the wavelength of the series. The same linear length of metal is included between the points A-A' at the outer edge of the member as between the points a-a' at the inner edge of the member, but the metal is crowded into a shorter space at the inner edge than at the outer edge. As indicated above, this is accomplished by adjusting the heights of the minor corrugations, keeping their crests, of course, below the crests of the major corrugations, and preferably by keeping them below the latter crests by an amount appreciably greater than the cushion deflection which is desired in the spacing member.

It will be noted that the crests of the minorcorrugations are not parallel to the crests of the major corrugations, the, crest of minor corrugations Ee in Fig. 4, for example, being inclined in one direction with respect to the crests of the major corrugations, while the crest of minor corrugation Ff of Fig, 5 is inclined in the opposite direction. This is because the height of the minor corrugations at the inner edge of the annulus needs to be greater than the height of the same minor corrugations at the outer edge in order to absorb the metal properly. It will consequently be appreciated that if the height of the minor corrugations with respect to that of the major cor-y rugations is adjusted to provide the desired deflection of the spacing member at the inner edge, the heights of the minor corrugations at their outer ends will automatically be smaller, the limiting condition being that'in which the minor corrugations disappear at the outer edge leaving a straight web extending from one major corrugation to the next. This extreme condition should generally be avoided since it impairs the resilience of the spacing member at the outer edge.

It will be understood from what has been said above that the linear length of metal included in a wave-length of each undulation in the above described floating-type spacing member may be varied within limits which permit various amounts of cushion effect,

As has been indicated, the corrugated spring member 8 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 typil'les the sort of arcuate members whichmy improved apparatus and methods are designed to produce. The machine shown in Figs. 6-18, inclusive, illustrates one form of machine which may be used for this purpose. Referring now to Figs. 6-10, inclusive, it will be seen that the machine consists of an assembly which is designed to be installed in a punch press for actuation thereby. The machine consists of a base 20 adapted to be secured fixedly as at 2| and 22 to the bed of a suitable punch s i press the slider or ram of which is indicated at 23 in Figs. '1 and 8. The base is provided with two upstanding guide pins 24 and 25 rigidly secured thereto to act as guides for a movable top platen 26, which is connected to slider 23- of the punch press so as to be reciprocated'in an up and down manner parallel to the vertical axes of guide pins 24 and 25. As will be seen more clearly in Fig. 6, the fixed base 20 carries a rotating die structure G which is'disposed flatwise thereupon and constrained thereon for rotary motion about a. central fixed hub 28. The rotating die consists of a base disk 29 having a central recessed portion 30 whose thickness is about the same as the height of base 20 while permitting the disk to rotate freely about the hub 28. The washer 3| may be secured to the hub in any suitable manner, as by means of screws 32, 32. The unrecess'ed face portion of the disk `29 is provided with a circular series of radially directed slots 33 extending a convenient depth into the disk. The number of slots is optional, depending largely on the size of the annulus which is to be formed, but the number of slots which is provided should preferably be a multiple of three when forming a spacing member l corresponding to member 8 of Figs. 1-5. Each of these slots carries a blade 34 disposed therein on edge and projecting from the exposed top surface of the die base 29. The upper edge of each blade provides a rectilinear forming surface over which the strip metal may be bent, as will be understood subsequently. Each of the blades 34 is provided with a triangular portion which projects from the inner end thereof, the function of which is to aid in securing the blade in the die assembly. A typical blade is illustrated in Fig. 17 and the triangular. portion is shown at 35. The blades are disy posed in said slots with the triangular portions at the inner ends of the slots, as shown in Fig. 8. A beveled locking ring 36 is disposed between the inner ends of the blades and the washer 3|, and is secured as by screws 31, 31 to disk 29 so that its beveled edge portion 38 is brought to bear against the triangular projecting portions 35, 35 of the said blades. As will be understood through reference to Fig. 8, this construction prevents the blades from being pulled out of the rotating die. The rotating die is completed by means of a peripheral toothed ring 39 provided with a multitude of teeth 40, 4U, thenumber ofteeth therein corresponding to the number of blades in the rotating die member. A slot 4| of suitable width separates adjacent teeth of said toothed ring, this slot extending radially across the ring and downwardly.

to a. level which is at least slightly below the plane of the upper surface of disk 29. The toothed ring is secured to the periphery of the disk 29 by means 0f a plurality of circumferentially spaced screws 39a, but is positioned on the periphery of the disk 29 so that each slot 4| is midway between a pair of blades 34, I34. Thus the slots lie lat the extremity of each of the forming cavities 42 of the die member `and each is centered with respect to its corresponding cavity. rThis construction permits a vertically movable blade (described hereafter) to be forced downwardly on edge into each cavity while being aligned with the cavity by one of the radial slots 4| of the toothed ring.

As will be understood more fully hereafter, the

blades of the rotating die member are arranged to form a repeating sequence of high and low forming edges with intermediate forming cavities 42. Such a sequence is required in forming the corrugations of the spacing member 8 of Figs. 1-5 inclusive. Thus the blades are arranged in sets so that there is one high or major blade followed by two low or minor blades, the latter being followed by another set having the same succession of one high blade followed by two low blades. By' using a number of blades which is a multiple of three, the successive sets of blades cooperate to provide a continuous forming d ie in which the repeating sequence is endless. The major 'blades as shown have their forming edges parallel to the surface .of the die base 29 but the forming edges of the minor blades are inclined. Considering' a median plane of the major female die blades disposed midway between the surface of the base 29 and the forming edges of the said blades, the forming edges of the minor blades are above said plane and incline inward and upward away from it.

The fixed base 20 also carries an inclined guiding assembly H adapted to guide the strip stock in a flatwise position `tangentially into the rotating die member. This guiding assembly consists of a support 43 secured to base 20 by means of suitable screws 44. On the upper surface of the support is secured an elongated frame 45 having a shallow groove 45 formed in the top face thereof. The said frame is secured to the support by means of screws 41, 41. A guiding attachment is mounted upon the frame so that it may be moved back and forth in the groove 46 thereof for suitable adjustment 4of its radial pcsition relative to the center of the rotating die member. The guide attachment consists of a beveled bar 48 having slots 49 at its opposite ends, and a pair of guide plates 50 and 5I secured to each other and .to said bar in such manner as to form a thin opening through which the strip stock may be fed in flatwise position. The guiding attachment is secured to frame 45 by means of screws 52, 52 positioned in the said slots 49 at opposite ends of the bar `48.

The fixed base also carries a stationary holddown J, the function of which is to hold the corrugated stock in mesh with the forming edges and forming cavities of the rotating die member. This hold-down consists of a segmental plate 54 having three studs 55 secured thereto to lie on a radius of the segment. This construction will be understood more fully through reference to Fig. 9. The three studs extend upwardly through openings in a frame member 56 and carry nuts 51, 51 on their upper extremities. The frame member is secured to a support 5B and to the base 20 bymeans of screws 59, 59. A spring 60 is interposed between said segmental plate 54 and said frame member 56 so as to resiliently impel said segmental plate downwardly with respect to the fixed frame member. It will be understood that thisv construction permits the segmental plate to be retained in position above the rotating die member, or to be forced into contact with the top edges of the high blades thereof under yielding pressure. The functions of the hold-down will be explained subsequently in connection with the operation of the device. It will be further understood, however, that the fixed hold-down must necessarily be positioned so that its segmental plate may be effective in holdingA the corrugated strip stock firmly in mesh with the rotating die member, without interfering with the action of the forming blade, or with the movable hold-downs described hereafter.

A rear guide assembly K for the forming blade 9| is secured to base 20 a short distance beyond the periphery of the rotating die member. This guide assembly is best shown in Fig. 13, where it will be seen to consist of a U-shaped frame 6| secured to base 20 by means of screws 62, 62, and a renewable insert 63 which is secured between the upright legs of the U-shaped frame by means of screws 64. The insert is provided with a slot 65 of suitable depth, and the whole guide assembly is positioned on the base 20 so that this slot is in radial alignment with the center of rotation of the rotating die member, as shown in Fig. 6.

A brake assembly L is also secured to the base 20 so as to restrain the die member from rotating too freely. This brake assembly consists of a hinged arm 66 pivoted at one end about a screw 61 so as to be rotatable about said screw toward and away. from the periphery ofthe rotating die member. The other end of the arm 66 carries a block 68 of suitable-friction material, preferably of the sintered metal variety. The arm and its attached friction material is resiliently pressed toward the rotating die member by means of a spring 69. Pressure is applied to the spring by means of' a screw 10. A cup 1| is attached to the end of the screw toprovide a seat for the spring. The screw is threaded into atrunnion block 12, the latter being secured to the base by means of screws 13. The position of the screw 10 relative to trunnion block 12 may be xed by means of a lock-nut 14 threaded on said screw 10. The function and operation of this assembly is self evident.

A ratcheting and indexing mechanism Mis also secured to the base in a position which permits a ratchet thereof to engage with the teeth of toothed ring 39. This ratcheting and indexing mechanism is shown most fully in Fig. 10 to which reference is now made. It will be seen to consist of a frame 15 secured to the base 20 by means of screws 16. A rocker plate 11 is secured to the frame by means of pivot screw 18, and at one of its ends it is pivotally attached to a pawl 19 which is adapted to engage the upper ends of the teeth 40 of the toothed ring 39 of the rotating di'e member. Adjacent the other end of the rocker plate is connected a link 80 which in turn is connected to a lever 8|, the latter being pivoted with respect to the frame about a pivot screw 82. The rocker plate 11 is also provided with a pro-A jecting portion 83 through which motivating energy is applied to the ratcheting and indexing mechanism. The pivoted lever 8| carries an adjusting screw 84 at its remote extremity, and the frame 'l5 carries a cylinder and plunger assembly directly beneath said adjusting screw. The cylinder is shown at 85 and is secured to the frame by means of screws 86, 86 (Fig. 6). Plunger 81 is disposed within the cylinder and is adapted to move vertically up and down therein in response to pressure applied to it through adjusting screw 84 and lever 8|. The plunger is prevented from rotating in the cylinder by means of a transverse pin 88, the outer ends of which are guided by slots 89, 89 in the walls of said cylinder 85. A coil spring 90 is interposed between the plunger and,

the bottom of the cylinder and serves to retract the plunger when the lever 8| is not pressing it downwardly. The bottom end of the plunger is provided with a V-shaped point which is adapted to extend downwardly into the slot between adjacent teeth of the toothed ring 39'until the edges of the point engage the walls of adjacent teeth 40, 40. It will be understood that the purpose of the ratcheting and indexing mechanism is to advance the rotating die one tooth at a time and then to bring the die member to rest so that the slots between adjacent teeth of the toothed ring .are brought consecutively into exact radial alignment with the slot 65 of the rear guiding assembly K.' The operation of the mechanism will be explained hereafter in more detail.

As indicated previously, a reciprocating top platen 26 is guided on the two guide pins 2d and 25 of base 20 so as to be movable up and down or toward and away from the rotating die member. This reciprocating platen carries a forming blade 9| which, as shown in Fig. 6, extends radially across the full annular width of the rotating die member and is guided into position on die member G by the slot 65 of rear guiding assembly K and by a front guide 53. As will be understood subsequently, this blade has the function of bending the strip stock over the top edges of the fixed blades 34, 34 of the rotating die member and of bending the stock around its lower edge. In order to be effective in forming corrugations of the proper configuration, the blade is pivoted near its inner end so as to be rotatable in a vertical' radial plane relative to the rotating die structure G. The structure of the blade mounting assembly N is shown most clearly in Figs. 8 and 12. The assembly includes an angle iron frame 92 secured to the under side of top platen 26 by means of screws 93. A pivot block 94 issecured to the depending leg 95 of angle 92 by means of screws 96. This pivot block is recessed as at 91 to receive the head of a pivot screw 98, and carries a bushing 99 in which the pivot screw rotates. The forming blade 9| is secured along its top edge to an L-shaped frame |00, and is fastened thereto by means of rivets |0|. The blade assembly is secured' in a vertical edgewise position with the short leg of the L- shaped frame |00 retained ilatwise against a face of pivot block 94 by means lof pivot screw 98. The blade is guided near its rear end by means of the guide assembly P shownl in Fig. 13. The said guide assembly P (Fig. 13) consists of a pair of plates |02 and |03 fastened together in spaced relation to provide a channel of the proper width in which blade 9| may move in edgewise directions. The guide assembly P is secured to depending leg 95 of angle 92 by means of screws |04. From this construction, it will be seen that the blade is free to undergo limited rotation in a vertical plane about pivot screw 98 as its center of rotation while, at the same time, being rigidly connected to the reciprocating top platen 26.

A coil spring |05 is connected between the angle 92 and the blade 9| to bias the blade against the face of a cam |06, as shown in Figs. 8 and 15. The cam is rotatable about a horizontal axis and is of such configuration as to cause the inclination of the forming 'blade to be changed periodically as the cam rotates through its various positions. As shown best -in Figs. '7 and 8, the cam is secured to the depending leg 95 of angle 92 at a position thereon intermediate the pivot screw 98 and rear guide assembly P. The construction of the cam assembly Q is shown most clearly in Fig. 7 Where it will be seen that the cam |06 forms the head of a spindle having a first cylindrical portion |01 followed by a square shouldered portion |08, and. then by a 9 cylindrical threaded portion |09. The cylindrical portion |01 is journaled in` a supporting plate which is secured ilatwise against depending' screw portion |09. It will be understood that the spring is effective in clamping the cam and ratchet wheel assembly against the opposite faces of plate I I0. By adjusting the spring pressure, the frictional force between the cam assembly and theA plate ||0 may be adjusted and thus utilized to prevent the cam from rotating too freely. Washer. ||3 may be composed of sintered metal friction material if desired, so as to introduce more friction than could be obtained from an ordinary 'metal washer.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and' 15, it will be seen that the cam |06 is provided with six distinct bearing surfaces, four of them being arranged in two pairs disposed on opposite sides of the cam and separated by curved end portions. The four fiatfaces of the cam are all tangent to the same circle while the curved sections are portions of a circle of greater diameter. Accordingly, it will be seen that the cam provides a sequence of positions by which it is/ capable of depressing the blade 9| to a maximum depth in one position, and then of permitting the blade to be retracted to a lesser depth in two succeeding positions. As the cam rotates further, it repeats this cycle of positions, thereby providing two complete cycles of the same tri-position sequence. The ratchet wheel carries six teeth equally spaced circumferentially and positioned relative to the cam so that rotation of the ratchet wheel may be effected in sixty degree intervals to bring the six faces of the cam consecutively into contact with the top edge of blade 9|;

The mounting and construction of the blade 9| and its cam, actuating devices lare such that the forming edge of the blade, when it is inserted' between a major blade and a minor blade of the female die, is below the median plane of the major blades of the female die and inclines inward and downward away from said plane.

Rotation of the ratchet wheel and cam assembly Q is effected by means of the reciprocating motion imparted to the top platen by the punch press.` For this purpose a bell crank I I8 is pivoted on pivot pin ||9 relative to the depending leg 95 of angle 92. One leg of the crank extends outwardly beyond the end ofangle 92 and is provided with a striking pin |20, as shown in Figs. 8 and 14. The other leg of the crank is pivotally connected through pin |2| to a ratchet link |22 carrying a hook |23 adapted to engage the teeth of ratchet wheel II2.4 Spring|24 holds the hook in contact with the ratchet wheel, and spring |25 serves to bias the hook laterally against a stop pin |26. A bracket |21 is secured to washer 3| by means of screw |28 and carries an upright slotted portion |29 to which is attached a block |30 as by means of screw |31. The block |30 is positioned on the upright portion so :that strik-- ing pin |29 will be brought into engagement with 10 of top platen 26. Whenthe striking pin has thus been brought into engagement, further motion o1' the platen upwardly causes the bell crank to be moved in a counterclockwise direction about pivot H9. ,"This, in turn, causes the hook |23 to be pulled away from stop pin |26 and thereby to engage a tooth of ratchet wheel II2 and cause the ratchet wheel and associated cam to be ro-l tated through about sixty degrees of angle. As the top platen moves downwardly, this cycle of motions is reversed and hook |23 slides back over the adjacent tooth of ratchet wheel ||2 and ultimately comes to rest against stop pin |26.

It will thus be seen that the up and down motion l of the'top platen is utilized to effect rotation of the cam in synchronism with the reciprocating motion of the platen.

The reciprocating motion of the top platen is also utilized to actuate the ratchet and indexing platen 26 by means of screws |38.

mechanism M.' As shown in Figs. 6 and 10, the

-top platen carries a depending adjustable hook |32 adapted to come into engagement with the projecting portion 83 of rocker plate 11 during 'at least a part of the upward motion of the platen.

The hook |32 is secured Ato an angle fram'e |33 by means of screw |34, the angle being in turn secured to platen 26 by. means of screws |35. It will be understood that thisconstruction causes the ratcheting and indexing mechanism to move in synchronism with the reciprocating movement of the platen.

For the purpose of retaining the formed or corrugated strip stock in contact with the rotating die member while succeeding portions of the strip stock are formed, a resilient hold-down R is provided. This hold-down is shown in Figs. 7, 11 and 18, and will lbe seen to consist of a box-like frame composed of side plates |36, |36, and end pieces |31, |31. The frameis secured to top end pieces |31, |31 of the frame are provided with inwardly directed shoulders |39, |39. Within the cavity of the frame are positioned two blade carriers |40 and |4I, both of which carry out.

. nular portion of theA rotating die section G, as

shown in Fig. 6, and are dimensioned in length so as to be guided by adjacent slots 4|, 4| of the toothed ring 39. The inner ends of the holddown blades are loosely guided by means of a guide member |46 which is secured to washer 3| of the xed base. As shown in Fig. '7, the holddown blades |44 and |45 are adapted to contact the corrugated strip in the troughs of adjacent corrugations thereof, and thereby to hold the corrugated strip in mesh with the blades and cavities used in forming the various corrugations. The Acorrugated strip is thereby held rmly in position on the rotating die member while the forming bladel 9| is bending a succeeding unformed portion of the strip stock around the top edge of an adjacent fixed blade. As will be seen l by comparing Figs. 7 and 18, the sponge rubber The opposite.

1 l comes into position beneath it, while pressing each corrugation firmly downward against the fixed blades of the rotary die member.

Now that the various elements of the structure have been described, it will be recognized that before the device can be placed in operation it must be adjusted and properly timed. This involves the following items:

Adjustment of the displacement of the punch press The displacement or stroke of the punch press which actuates the device must be chosen so that when the press is moved to its extreme lowermost position (the closed position), the forming blade 9| will be spaced above the top surface of disk 29 by any suitable amount equal to or greater than the thickness of the strip stock which is being formed. The displacement must also be chosen so that when the press is moved to its uppermost or open position, the forming blade 9| and hold-down blades |44 and |45 will be raised well above the tops of the teeth 40 of the toothed ring 39. When a press of suitable stroke has been selected, the adjustment of the position of the forming edge at the bottom of a downward stroke may be'made by means of a threaded member which forms a part of the connecting rod of most presses. By rotating the member in a suitable direction, the length of the connecting rod may be increased or decreased-with the result that the forming blade may be brought to 'a desired distance away from the surface of the die member.

Adjustment of the pivot point and cam relative to the forming blade In order to gather the proper amount of strip stock into each minor corrugation, it is necessary that the inclination of the formingI blade 9| be established at the proper value prior to completing each of its strokes. uThe desired inclination -may be obtained by shifting the pivot point 98 along leg 95 of angle 92 so as to move it toward Y or away from the center of the rotating die member G, and meanwhile raising or lowering the plate and its associated cam mechanism Q. It will be understood that the inclination of the blade so far as its shallow strokes are concerned, can be increased by moving the pivot point nearer to the cam |06, and that insofar as the deep corrugations are concerned, the inclination of the blade relative to the surface of disk 29 may be adjusted by moving the plate ||0 and cam |06 up or down on the angle 92. It will also be recognized that furtheradjustment of both can be provided by using cams of different sizes. With a cam of given size, however, suitable adjustment can usually be found by moving the pivot point 98 and the plate ||0 in the mannerl indicated above.

Timing of the deep and shallow strokes in correl spondence with the. high and low blades of the rotating die'seetion It'will be understood from a study of the crosssectional appearance of the corrugated member 8 of Figs. 1-5 that the forming blade 9| must be depressed to its lowermost position when it enters the forming cavity between two adjacent low blades of the rotating die member G. It will also be recognized that the forming blade is in its most inclined or shallow positions when entering the cavities which lie between a high or major blade and a low or minor blade o-f the rotating die mem ber. In order that these positional requirements.

Amember.

maybe obtained, it is necessary that the cam |06 be timed properly with relation to the rotating die This timing may be accomplished by rotating cam |06 until one of the curved end portions has been brought into contact with the top edge of the forming blade 9|. With the punch press in its open position, the rotating die member should then be rotated so as to bring two adjacent minor blades thereof into anking positions on opposite sides of the forming blade 9| so that when the punch press is actuated to move the assembly to its closed position, the forming blade will be depressed into the cavity which lies between the said minor blades.

Timing of the cam relative to the upward motion of the platen In order that cam 06 may be rotated at the proper point of time in the cycle of operations, it is necessary that the block be properly positioned on bracket |29. should be rotated until one of its curved end portions has been broughtl into lcontact with the top edge of forming blade 9|. With the cam in this position, the punch press and the platen should be raised until the bottom edge of the forming blade 9| has been raised slightly above the top of teeth of the toothed ring 39. The adjustable striking block |30 should then be fastened to the upright bracket |29 so that its bottom face is in contact with the striking pin |20 of bell crank I8. The platen of the punch press shouldthen be raised to the uppermost position (open position) When it has been brought to this position, the hook |23 should have been effective in rotating the ratchet wheel ||2 and cam |06 through an angle of about If this is done, the adjustment is correct. If, however, the cam is rotated through an angle much greater than 60, then the striking block |30 should be raised upwardly on bracket |29 to reduce the angular rotation to the desired value of 60.

Timing the advancing and indexing mechanism relative to the upward motion of the platen It will be recognized that pawl 79 should not begin to advance the rotating die member until after forming blade 9| has been raisedl high enough to clear the tops of teeth 40 of the toothed ring 39. Furthermore, the pawl should have been effective in completing the advancing action by the time the platen 26 has been raised to its uppermost position. An adjustment of member |32 can be found which'will make the pawl perform these functions at the proper time intervals. To find the proper adjustment, cam |06 should be rotated until one of its curved end portions has been brought into contact with the top edge of forming blade 9|. The punch press should then be actuated so as to raise the platen far enough to lift the bottom edge of the forming blade slightly above the tops of the teeth 40 of toothed ring 39. Member |32 should then be fastened to the platen by means of screw |34 so that its n hooked end portion bears against the bottom face of the projecting portion 03 on rocker plate With the member so fastened, the platen should then be raised to its uppermost position to make certain that pawl 'I9 does not move too far as a result of this further upward motion. If its latera1rnotion is found to be too great, with the result that the rotating die member is rotated a `distance of more than one tooth, then member |32 should be lowered relative to platen 26 until an adjustment is found which causes the pawl to To do this, the cam |06 move forward and back the required distance. The adjustment should then be checked again by moving the platen from its lowermost (closed) reached its uppermost position, the pawl should lhave reached the extremity of its forward stroke while the plunger B1 should have come to rest with the faces of its V-shaped point in light but rm engagement with the adjacent walls of adjacent teeth 40 of the ring 39. Screw 84 should be adjusted until such an adjustment of the plunger 81 has been obtained.

After the preceding adiustments have been made as indicated, the next step which is involved to place the device in operation is that of threading the strip stock |41 through the device, This threading step is essentially a procedure which must be done by the operator before the machine can be expected to operate automatically and y without attendance.' Threading "is accomplished in the following manner: With the machine in its open position, metal strip stock |41 of the desired width and gauge `and of appropriate composition and mechanical properties for its intended use in the corrugated condition, is introduced into the rotating die member by sliding it longitudinally through the opening between plates 50 and 5| of guide H. The stock is advanced into the die member far enough so that its leading edge is slightly beyond the forming blade 9 I. The punch press may then be set in motion so as to complete only one revolution. This motion of the punch 'press will .first depress the forming blade, thereby bending the strip to form a corrugation,l and thereafter will again raise the platen to its open position. The corrugation thus formed is apt to be of imperfect configuration because of the fact that the stock had not been suitably restrained while it was being bent However,

the corrugation'should not be severed from the strip or discarded until after the stock has been threaded through the machine since it is needed for this purpose. To this end, the operator should hold it in the cavity in which it was formed while the upward motion of the platen acts to advance the rotating die member one space to the left. When this is done, the Vrotation of the die member is effective in pulling additional strip stock beneath the forming blade. The press may then be set in motion to form a second corrugation. On this next downward stroke of the punch press,

the movable hold-down blade |44 should be effective in holding the stock in place while the form-l ing blade forms the succeeding corrugation. It will be noted that when it is so held by the holddown blade |44, the strip is effectively anchored relative to the blades of the die member. As a result, the-forming blade assumes substantially its complete function in forming the succeeding corrugation. This function is essentially that of causing the unformed strip. stock to slide around and beneath its forming edge as the blade moves downwardly into the cavity. The downward motion of the blade is thereby effective in pulling or gathering the strip stock into the cavity without subjecting it to stresses which exceed its elastic limit. `In 'consequence thereof. the stock will not be broken even thoughit is of such temper and insana composition that it has substantially no elongation. After the second corrugation has been formed, the operator must hold both the firstA and second corrugations inttheir respective cavi.- ties while the rotating die member is advanced to bring the `third cavity beneath the forming blade. On the third downward stroke of the punch press, both of the movable hold-down ever, a crest corrugation which has been formed around the top `edge of one of the major blades of the die member will be in a position to pass beneath plate 54 of the xed hold-down. After such a corrugation has been brought under this plate, further attention by the operator is unnecessary sincel thereafter the corrugated stock will be held in position automatically as the rotating die member is advanced. The threading operation is thereupon complete.

Assuming now that the strip stock has been threaded into the machine and that the machine has been adjusted and timed for automatic operation, as described above, the action of the various parts may be traced in. the carrying out of the improved method. It will be understood that due to the function of the hold-down plate 54, the advancing die member pulls a succeeding portion of unformed strip stock beneath the forming l blade as the rotating die member is advanced after completion of each corrugation. The holddown plate 54 anchors the leading end of the stock to permit the die member to do this. It will also be understood that as the forming blade is then depressed into each cavity, it bends the stock downwardly into the cavity .while pulling enough additional strip stock in also to form a corrugation of the desired con-figuration, Furthermore, it will be understood that afthe platen moves upwardly upon completion of each corrugation, the movable hold-down blades |44 and |45, and thc forming blade 9|, are retracted and are carried upwardly to a height which causes their lower edges to rise above the top of the teeth 4|) of the toothed ring 39. When this has been accomplished, the adjustment of hook |32 in Fig. lshould be such that it comes into contact with portion 83 of rocker plate 11. Further upward motion of the platen then sets the advancing and indexing mechanism of Fig. 10 into operation, pawl 19 moving the die member to the left or in a counter-clockwise direction, and lever .8| causing plunger 81 to move downwardly toward the toothed ring 39. By the time the platen has reached its uppermost position, pawl 19 is in its extreme position toward the left, and the V-shaped point of plunger 81 has been brought to rest in mesh with the Walls of a'pair of adjacent teeth, Meanwhile the apparatus of Fig. 8 has also been motivated by the upward motion of the platen. As explained previously, during the upward motion of the platen, striking pin |20 of bell cra-nk H8 is brought into contact with the adjustable stop block |30, carried by bracket |29. Further upward motion of the platen thereafter causes the hook link |23 to engage a tooth of a ratchet wheel H2, causing the latter to rotate through approximately 60 of angle. This rotation-advances the cam |06 of Fig. 15 to its next succeeding position, thereby establishing the inclination of forming blade 9| which is needed in forming the next corrugation. In summary, therefore, it will be recognized that after the platen has been raised upwardly by the punch press to a point where the forming blade and hold-down blades have cleared the teeth of the toothed ring 39, the indexing mechanism advances the rotating die section one forming cavity to the left, and the inclination of the forming blade is meanwhile adjusted to prepare it for the next downward stroke of the platen.

In the operation of the machine, as the corrugated and arcuately-curved member formed from the straight strip stock passes out from under the hold-down plate 54, it gradually springs upward out of the die depressions and falls over the sides of the die to accumulate in spiral form on the floor or other support at the side of the machine. be provided to facilitate this removal or stripping of the corrugated material fromthe rotary die member.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the machine is capable o-f handling strip stock from long coils or rolls, and of corrugating such stock in a continuous manner so as to form continuous spirals of corrugated material. The latter may subsequently be cut into portions of the proper length for use in the clutch assembly of Figs. 1 through 5. In View of this feature and of the fact that the annulus is formed from strip stock rather than from circumscribing squares of sheet metal, or otherwise, there is practically no waste involved. all of the strip stock being consumed in forming corrugated stock which may be used without/:waste in making jointed annular spacing members for the clutch plate a'ssemb-ly. From what has been said previously, it will also be recognized that the machine may handle strip stock of any appropriate composition and temper. While it is designed especially for use with relatively inextensible strip stock (that is, stock having little or no elongation), it may be used equally well in corrugating ductile stock having large values of elongation. It should be noted, however, that when material of this latter class is corrugated in the machine, it is not subjected to stresses which cause it to be stretched or permanently deformed except by bending operations. Consequently, there is no mechanical deformation involved beyond that of simple bending, and the resultant corrugated stock is only slightly workhardened.

It will be appreciated that any given die structure G may be used to form annuli of a limited range of diameters if its blades 34 are wider than the strip stock which is to be corrugated. If a wider range of diameters is needed, it is usually preferable to provide several machines with rotating die members of diiferent sizes, rather than to attempt to design one rotating die member capable of accommodating all of the different annulus diameters. This is the result of structural limitations imposed on the design by mechanical considerations. rather than by any failure of the basic principles to permit such a die member to be provided.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the improved method can be carried out by the use of apparatus diiering markedly from that above described. For example, either the male or female die member may reciprocate relative to the other, and it is not necessary that either one'have rotary or arcuate motion in the plane of the strip stock since the metal stock may itself be suitably A stripping guide S may indexed relative to both die members so as to bring the transverse portions thereof into position to be bent into corrugations. Where this principle is utilized, it is not necessary that the female die structure have fixed forming blades of diierent heights, since each forming blade may simulate the forming blade.9l, and may have its inclination changed periodically to constitute a high or major blade at a selected time period in a sequence of operations, and later to constitute a suitably inclined minor blade.

Similarly the procedural steps of the method may be modified within the bounds of the following claims dening the invention.'

What I claim is z 1. In'a method of making metallic disk structures, the steps of bending a series of three successive transverse sections of straight strip stock by consecutive pure bending operations to form first a major corrugation and an oppositely-directed minor corrugation, second a minor corrugation oppositely-directed to the first minor corrugation and a major corrugation oppositelydirected to the iirst major corrugation and third two oppositely-directed minor corrugations of which the first is oppositely-directed to the rst named minor corrugation, the bending operation serving to form the minor corrugations deeper at one edge of the strip than at its other edge with resultant edgewise curving of the strip; repeatingfthe series of bending operations a Sullicient number of times to bring the corrugated portion of the strip to annular form; severing from the strip such annularly formed portion: and on each side of such portion welding a metal disk to the crests of at least some of the major corrugations.

2. In a method of making metallic disk structures, the steps of corrugating straight strip stock of thin sheet metal by bending the strip facewise successively in opposite directions to form transverse corrugations extending substantially from edge to edge of the strip with at least some of the corrugations increasing in depth from one edge to the other of the strip and thereby causing edgewise curving of the strip and formation of a cylindrical spiral as the successive bending operations are continued; cutting from said spiral portions which correspond in length to one complete circumvolution thereof; joining together the ends of each such portion to form a continuous annulus; and on each side of each such annulus connecting a metal disk to the crests of at least some of its corrugations.

3. In a method of making metallic disk structures, the steps of corrugating straight strip stock of thin sheet metal by successively bending the strip facewise to form rst a major corrugation and an oppositely-directed minor corrugation` second a minor corrugation oppositely-directed to the first minor corrugation and a major corrugation oppositely-directed to the first major corrugation and third two oppositely-directed minor corrugations of which the first is oppositely-directed to the first named minor corrugation, the said bending of the strip serving to form the oppositely-directed major corrugations alike in height from edge to edge of the strip and the minor corrugations deeper at one edge of the strip than at its other edge with resultant edgewise curving of the strip; repeating the series of bending operations a sufficient number of times to bring the corrugated portion 'of the strip to annular disk form; severing from the strip such annularly formed portion; and on each side 2,482,842 17 of such portion securing a metal disky to the crests Number of at least some of the major corrugations. 2,130,324 SAMUEL K. WELLMAN. 2,001,553 2,072,847 REFERENCES CITED 24,689 The following references ae of record in the 1775432 le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date l0 12,938

1,840,317 Horvath Jan. 12, 1932 149,377

Great Britain Aug. 11, i920 

